Horse Hoof Care

Horse Hoof Care

No hoof…no horse…You’ve heard it a million times and it will always be true.

The hooves are the very foundation of your horse. When the feet fall apart, so does all your hard work and training. All the money and time you’ve spent getting your horse ready for competition will be wasted if your horse constantly loses shoes or is too sore footed to ride. Your horse simply can’t function at optimal levels with substandard hoof care.
Your horse depends on you to find and secure the service of a qualified farrier. The key word being qualified!

Get this part right and you give your horse the best chance to function at his best and stay sound for the long haul.
Get it wrong… you might have to live with the regret of watching your four legged friend suffer with sore feet, and possibly career ending lameness.

Finding the right farrier can be difficult and time consuming since not all farriers have the same skill set. Most experienced farriers have a working knowledge of most situations, but certain types of shoeing such as crack repair, white line disease or founder may require highly skilled specialists. Shoeing for gaited horses, reining or draft horses require non standard materials and equipment, and a unique skill set to be competent. Be especially diligent when a farrier claims to be able to “do it all”

You will need to spend some time researching and interviewing several farriers, but your diligence will pay off in the end when you find a hoof care professional that you feel comfortable with.

In coming posts we will dig deeper into how to evaluate a hoof care professional.

• Learn the key questions you must ask yourself before you ever interview a farrier.
• When looking for a farrier…who is the best person to ask for advice …and who to never ask!
• The most important question to ask before you hire a farrier…the answer may surprise you!